


Lost Child

by kiefercarlos



Series: 24 One Shots(Jack Bauer. What else do you need) [5]
Category: 24 (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 16:21:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13438608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiefercarlos/pseuds/kiefercarlos
Summary: ONE-SHOT: Jack helps a small girl who gets lost in the mall.





	Lost Child

"Can you help me, I can't find my mom." Came a small voice in the distance. 

Jack turned quickly and searched out the voice in the crowded mall. He found a little girl, with blonde pigtails talking to a couple who were looking at each other concerned, unsure how to deal with the situation.

Jack stepped towards them and flashed his CTU badge, then dropped to his knees in front of the little girl. The couple quickly scuttled away, leaving the small child to face Jack.

"Hey, don't worry I'm going to help find your mom, my name's Jack, what's yours?" He asked gently and the girl sniffed and rubbed at her tear filled eyes. "Chloe" She says sniffling and Jack nodded and smiled. "I've got a friend called Chloe. She's clever, I bet you are too." He said and the little girl nodded slowly. "Can you remember where you saw your mom last?" He asked, knowing that there wasn't a security guard anywhere close to help. Chloe nodded and pointed to the right. "Could you show me?" He asked and she nodded so Jack stood up and took her hand and walked in the direction that Chloe had pointed in. "There, we bought clothes for my baby brother." She said as she pulled on Jack's hand. He scanned the area quickly to see if he could find anyone who was looking for their child, but nobody stuck out, so he moved them to the wall and crouched down to her.

"What does your mom look like?" He asked leaning down to Chloe, "she has brown hair, and glasses." She says and Jack nods and stands up on the bench making sure to keep Chloe's hand tightly clamped in his. He scans the area and sees a brunette woman with a pram a couple of stores down. He hopes that it's going to be her. "I think I see her." Jack says calmly and gets down and heads in the direction he saw the woman.

He can see her around other people but Chloe couldn't, not yet. "Miss I found something of yours." He says as he steps closer and Chloe barrels at her mother's legs as the woman turns to him. She drops to her knees and engulfs her daughter in a hug. Tears are evident on her face. "Oh Chloe, sweetheart, never walk off again." She says as she stands up with her daughter in her arms. "I only went to look at the balloons." Chloe explains resting her head on her mother's shoulder, who clutches at her desperately.

The mother has now turned to Jack, "thank you for finding her. Anyone could have picked her off." The woman says squeezing her daughter and Jack smiles reassuringly at her. "I had a little girl once. I suggest one of those wrist straps; you can loop it to the pram handle." He says and the woman chuckles. "Thank you so much." She says and Jack nods and watches as the brunette woman pushes a pram and carries the small blonde child away, the girl smile and waves at him over her mother's shoulder and he remembers a time when another small girl in pigtails looked at him over her mother's shoulder, a young girl who would run to him and shout daddy. A woman who, now these days will barely speak to him.

Those early memories are all he has left of his family and he'll stop and help every blonde child or brunette woman, if it means remembering better times. Times when his life was whole and worthwhile.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Hoping you enjoyed.


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